A new poll undercuts one of the foundational principles of the Black Lives Matter movement, which views police as antagonists of black Americans.

The Aug. 31 Marquette University Law School poll found that while there were differences in how whites and non-whites view police, majorities in both demographic groups support law enforcement.

The poll of 803 registered Wisconsin voters came days after civil unrest in Milwaukee that followed the police shooting of a black man. In that case, 23-year-old Sylville Smith was shot dead after he ran from officers and pulled a gun, with officials saying the body cameras worn by officers vindicated their actions.

Related Stories

Overall, the Marquette poll found that 86 percent of those responding felt “mostly safe” with police in their community. Twelve percent said police made them feel “mostly anxious.”

Among blacks and Hispanics, 57 percent said they felt safe around police. Thirty-seven percent said they felt “mostly anxious.”

The poll found that non-Hispanic whites were most comfortable with police. Ninety percent said police made them feel safe, while only 9 percent said police made them feel “mostly anxious.”

Advertisement - story continues below

The poll asked about the Milwaukee riots. It found that 48 percent of those responding blamed the riots on a lack of respect for the law. Thirty-seven percent said a general lack of opportunities for blacks led to the rioting.

Black Lives Matter formed in the wake of shootings of young black men, ostensibly to campaign against what it sees as systemic violence and racism against African-Americans.

However, many have questioned the movement’s actions and words, saying it has instigated violence against police officers.

As reported by Western Journalism, recently released documents allegedly hacked from Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., show even Democrats describing Black Lives Matter as a “radical” group.

Trending Stories

Earlier this month, the Pew Research Center tried to estimate the popularity of the movement by looking at Twitter hashtags.

Pew found that during the time following the shootings of black men in Louisiana and Minnesota, most of the tweets using the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag were supportive of the group.

However, that quickly changed after the murder of five police officers in Dallas after a Black Lives Matter protest.

During the two-day period from July 5 to July 7, 87 percent of tweets were supportive, Pew found. But after the July 7 attack on police, from July 8 to July 17, only 28 percent of tweets supported Black Lives Matters. The rest were either opposed or neutral.

Pew then found that after a July 17 attack on Baton Rouge, La., police, 67 percent of tweets were negative toward Black Lives Matter, with only 26 percent that were supportive.